Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
A SHOCKING PROPOSITION

We didn't have very long to wait before the mechanics found the ZY drive aboard Mom's cruiser. Le'Kruune could hardly conceal his excitement when they contacted him from the docking bay with the news.

"They'll be bringing it up shortly," he informed us as he sat back down in his chair. "In the meantime, help yourself to another pastry."

I did, a little reluctantly, even though I was famished. Mother took one, too, and a little more champagne. I watched her closely as she watched Le'Kruune, her eye unblinking and completely void of expression. I couldn't even begin to read into her just then; whether she was upset or worried or happy I had no idea. I knew my own feelings were easy to read. I was terrified; Le'Kruune had found the ZY, and it was on its way up already for him to view. Soon he would have all the input needed to finish his matter collapser, then he would be on his way to Turo to start making demands on the Federation. And what of Mother and myself? Would we remain his prisoners? Would he honor his word and release us? Or would he simply eliminate us altogether? Thinking about that, I was even more terrified… our fate lay in the twisted claws of this horned devil.

I must have been trembling, because Mother laid a hand on my knee just then to calm me. She gave me a quick sideways glance, and I knew she had another ace up her sleeve. What that ace was exactly, I couldn't even begin to guess. She sipped her champagne, looking thoughtful. Le'Kruune must have noticed, for he began to stare at her with rapt interest in his dark eyes. He cleared his throat dramatically, calling our attention to him. He rose majestically to his cloven feet, his long black and gold-trimmed cape cascading to the floor. He stood up straight and very tall, as impressive and intimidating a leader as ever, striking fear in the hearts of the Kaizaxx themselves. Indeed, he even had the largest set of antlers I'd seen on any of them so far, and I wondered for a moment if they were a status symbol in his kind. He smiled at us serenely, but did not show his ugly, discolored teeth for once. He looked at me first, regarding me, before turning his eyes to my mother.

"Well, Vay, I must say this has been a very pleasant reunion. We all got a little something out of it, and now it's over. But it doesn't have to end here, my dear. Oh, no. In fact, I have a proposition for you…one I think you'll find very hard to refuse." he said as he reached into a small purse on his belt and pulled out a little black box. Holding it in one hand, he bent over double and took Mom's hand in the other, bringing his face very close to hers. For a second I thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he said something that made my heart jump up into my throat.

"Marry me, Vay."

Mother's eye widened in shock. "What?"

"Give yourself to me, and I will give you a life most women can only dream about. You will have riches, and power, and the secret to my invincibility will be yours. Your son shall have this, as well, and he will be granted freedom and complete immunity. No longer shall he have to suffer at the hands of the Kaizaxx, or anyone else for that matter. You will both live in bliss and perfection, so long as you honor and obey me like a good wife should. The hour of truth is at hand… soon the Kaizaxx shall seize control of Federation space and regions beyond, and I want YOU to be the beautiful woman at my side when it happens."

I couldn't believe this. I stood there staring at the both of them in absolute shock. Mother seemed to have recovered a little already. She was looking down at the floor, apparently thinking. Her eye drifted to the little black box Le'Kruune held in his hand, before looking up into his face. She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, then reached a hand up to brush her bangs out of her eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"And what if I reject your proposal?"

At this, Le'Kruune stood up straight and chuckled. "Somehow, my dear, I seriously doubt you will do that." He folded his arms behind his back and started to stroll around aimlessly. "You see, I knew you'd be asking me, 'why the hell should I marry you?' or something to that effect. That's why I came up with the perfect alternative answer." He was behind the couch now, and this made me nervous, so I watched over my shoulder as he paused and looked down at us.

"I apologize in advance for what I am about to do, but really, I find a live demonstration to be the best way of illustrating my point. Pleakley, if you would be so kind as to volunteer -" at the sound of my name, I started, but without even giving me a chance to reply, Le'Kruune seized me by the neck and lifted me up into the air. He held me in a firm grip, though not too firm as to asphyxiate me. Mother was up in an instant and standing on the back of the couch, ready to launch herself at my captor. Le'Kruune took a few steps backward and held up his other hand. In it was the black box, and as he turned it over with his fingers it started to change shape, revealing its true form. Le'Kruune now held a tazer in his hand, and with the flick of a switch the blue current of electricity began to warm up for my torture.

"NOOO!" Mother screamed, jumping down off the couch and standing just a few feet in front of us. Le'Kruune jabbed the tazer toward her threateningly, then laughed.

"Dear God, woman! You're so charmingly melodramatic! NOOO!!!" he yelled in a mocking feminine voice and laughed again. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet… the part where I make your son give his most 'shocking' performance!" He laughed hideously at his joke as he jabbed the tazer into my side. I shrieked, then tried to stifle it as he brought the device to different parts of my body. Mother was screaming again, but she sounded far away. Light and vision began to fade, and then I felt myself falling for a long time. I must have blacked out during the course of that fall, because I never even felt myself hitting the floor. I woke up, only moments later, laying on the carpet of Le'Kruune's private suite. Mother was kneeling over me, and I felt something warm and wet splash against my face. A tear. Mom was crying, though she seemed relieved that I had regained consciousness. I lifted a hand up to my throbbing temple and winced at the fresh second-degree burn there. My vision was still blurred, and past my mom everything was shapeless and dark. A towering, ominous figure loomed behind her, and it took me a moment to realize it was Le'Kruune. He was saying something, but all I could hear just then was gibberish. Mother responded, but I couldn't understand her, either. She sounded remarkably calm in spite of what had just happened. They spoke like this for about a minute, my senses tuning in and out as I recovered slowly from the shocking. Still their words did not make any sense, and I began to realize that they were speaking in a different language, probably Le'Kruune's native tongue. Mother knew at least twice as many languages as I did, and I knew nearly a dozen. As my strength returned, I struggled to sit up.

"Momm -"

Mother turned to look at me and I knew - I don't know how I knew it, but I knew - she had accepted Le'Kruune's proposal for marriage. Of course she would, I thought. She loves me and would do anything to protect me. I had to look away just then, for the tears were already starting to fall from my own eye. Damn you, Le'Kruune, I seethed. Then I felt Mother's strong arms surrounding me, but suddenly I was in no mood to return the embrace. Damn you, too, Mom. I felt my insides writhe in a struggle between love and hate for this woman - this very woman who had carried and given birth to me… who had sold herself on numerous occasions just to make enough money to keep me alive…who had come to my rescue each and every time the bigger kids picked on me in school… who spent long years and mounds of hard-earned cash on my education…who stood by my side and defended me against the Council…who rushed to my rescue and then sold herself to the same man all over again…and who never asked for a single thing in return…all because she loved me. I wanted to die then. In spite of all she had done to keep me alive so far, I wanted to die. I didn't care what happened anymore. Nothing should be worth all this pain, and certainly not ME. After all Mom had gone through, it should have been my turn to protect her, but she was too stubborn to allow it.

There was no time to think about this, because just then there was an emergency broadcast over the intercom.

"FEDERATION FORCES DETECTED IN BETA QUADRANT C-13. INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM GALACTIC COUNCIL IMMINENT. REQUESTING HIS HIGHNESS HORSTHAR EVETH XEYJII LE'KRUUNE TO MAIN CONTROL ROOM."

I got to my feet, heart and mind racing with anxiety. Perhaps this was our ticket out of here! Le'Kruune had other prisoners aboard this ship, or so I'd heard. Maybe the council knew about them, knew about US, and were coming to negotiate for our release. Mother seized my arm, pulling me close despite my burns. Le'Kruune looked wholly annoyed by the message, and the prospect of having to go all the way down to the control room to speak with the council.

"If it isn't one thing, it's another," he sighed, straightening his suit and checking his reflection in a nearby mirror before heading down to the bridge. He was halfway to the door when he turned sharply and said, "Well come on, then! If those trog-fuckers want to barter for an exchange, I need something to show for it! I'm sure they'll pay handsomely for a decorated first class agent like you, Vay."

Mother looked livid. "What am I now, your bride or your bitch?!!"

Le'Kruune grinned smugly as we exited his suite. "You can be both, if you wish. Just because I say I'm willing to trade you and your son for armaments doesn't mean I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain. I've dealt with your council of intergalactic imbeciles before… I was an elite member, so I know exactly where all the convenient little loopholes and weak spots lie."

"An elite member," Mother snorted. "Then that must have made you the Grand Imbecile of them all!"

Le'Kruune chuckled. "Yes. I suppose it did. Well, it looks like we've got another reunion coming up! We're all one big happy family now, aren't we?"